Three Times
by eleanna99
Summary: What if the founders were just four simple university students in 21st century London?
1. Everything Has Changed

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters or anything else in the Harry Potter universe. Unfortunately.

**Author's Note: **Every chapter is named after a song connected to it somehow. Sometimes it will be mentioned in the chapter, others there will be some of the lyrics at the beginning.

* * *

_Cause all I know is we said, "Hello."_  
_And your eyes look like coming home_  
_All I know is a simple name_  
_Everything has changed_  
_All I know is you held the door_  
_You'll be mine and I'll be yours_  
_All I know since yesterday is everything has changed  
-Everything Has Changed (Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran)_

The little bell on the top of the door rang when it opened, so that two tall boys could walk inside the cozy coffee shop. The one on the right had auburn curls whose tips fell in his face, but it didn't seem to bother him. He wore a red basketball shirt and shorts which made a great combination with the ball he threw from one hand to the other, possibly without really thinking about it. The guy on the left looked anything but alike, with his dark brown hair carefully combed back, but still managing to look as if he had woken up looking like that, in his emerald green shirt and blue jeans. Despite the differences in their appearances, the two men talked and laughed on their way to the booth at the back of the shop, occasionally nudging each other with their elbows while accompanying their conversation with extravagant hand gestures. They would have certainly made many customers turn and look at them with displeased looks on their faces, but very few people were around that early in a summer morning and those who were, were either businessmen having their coffee before work or students who had come there straight from a party. In both cases, they were too busy trying to keep their eyelids open to bother with the boys.

Just when they had made themselves comfortable on the couch, the door that led to the kitchens, right next to them, burst open.

"Dad, come on, we're gonna be late!" the girl that came rushing out complained. She was around eighteen and had blond wavy hair that cascaded down her back, the tips darker than the rest of it. A bag hang over her shoulder and enthusiasm was evident in her eyes, allowing her to walk hastily even in the yellow sundress she was wearing. On her way out, she ran a hand through the basketball-boy's curls and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Before she could go, Godric had gripped her wrist tightly in order to keep her there.

"You're leaving, Helga? Then who's going to take our orders?" he asked playfully.

"Argus' shift starts at nine, but just go inside and make whatever you want, mum won't mind. To be honest, she probably needs the help," the girl replied. "Now I really have to go. Rowena's coming!" she said, her voice almost a squeal of happiness.

A short chubby man with a friendly face walked out of the door. "Okay love, I think we're ready- Oh, Godric, Salazar. How are ya boys doing?" he asked with a grin and a kind look in his eyes.

"No time for chit chat! We don't want her to get lost in the airport, do we?" Helga interrupted them and grabbed her father's arm, almost pulling him to come with her.

"No, we don't. I guess I'll see you later!" the man said and followed his daughter out of the family shop, before he could even here the 'bye Mr Hufflepuff' that came from the boys.

"Who's that Rowena again?" Salazar asked nonchalantly, his fingers playing with the unlit candle on the table.

"Seriously, Sal? Helga has been talking about that for at least a month now," Godric replied, rolling his eyes.

"You see, my friend, every time I try to listen to what the two of you are saying, it's usually some gross lovebird thing, so I have decided to shut out the whole of our conversations," Salazar said with a smirk. "Now, will you give me a proper answer?" he insisted on his question.

"You're just jealous of our happiness," Godric said and laughed, throwing a ball of wrinkled napkins at his friend. He knew his comments were not mean, just his way of messing with him and Helga. The two of them had grown up together after all, and were like siblings. According to Sal, Helga was the annoying little sister that was later added to the group just to mess everything up, but it was obvious that he loved her with all his heart. "Rowena is her best friend who got into university here in London. Does it ring a bell?"

"Oh, right, the Scottish girl. Of course, let's add another little sister to this ever-growing family. It's not like the two of you got on my nerves enough already," Salazar replied, snarky as usual.

"Gosh, I wish you would stop complaining about everything. Anyway, rumor has it that new girl is a genius. Are you afraid you won't be the smart one anymore, Mr Slytherin?" Godric mocked him.

"On the contrary, Mr Gryffindor," he remarked, "some competition would be more than welcome."

* * *

Helga had made one of those big fancy signs, usually created by travel agencies or hotels to let the travelers know where exactly to go and help them not get lost in the huge crowd of the airport, but it wasn't really needed. The moment chocolate brown eyes met electric blue ones, the two girls almost screamed and ran towards each other, just to collide in a bone-crushing hug.

The Hufflepuffs were a family that traveled quite a lot, but when they had a kid, they decided they needed to settle down somewhere. The baby was born in Wales, but after a few years they moved to Edinburgh to find better jobs in order to support the family. It was there that Rowena and Helga met. They sat together during the first day of elementary school and after that, they sat together for years. They talked, they laughed, they fought, they cried, they were together through everything- but then Helga had to leave again, as her mother lost her job, this time for London. Their last day together was full of tears, hugs and a promise: _Keep in touch, will you?_

And even though long-distance friendships rarely last, no matter how much you want them to, that one did. There were telephones and texts and mail and Skype and the girls made sure they would use everything possible so as not to get estranged. And maybe they didn't live two blocks away anymore, but it was like they never separated. Because friendships like that are not worth losing.

A few minutes later, Helga took a step back and looked at her friend. She could see her during video calls and through photos, but nothing could compare to the real thing. She had gotten much taller during the last couple of years, even though they used to be at the same height back in Edinburgh. Rowena's hair was braided over her shoulder, black as ever and her eyes the same deep blue she remembered.

After enthusiastically talking for a few minutes, trying to fill each other in about everything that had been going on in their lives –not like there were many things they didn't know, most of the time it was just Rowena talking about her flight from Scotland- they decided they should go home. Mr Hufflepuff gave the girl, who would be staying in their house, at least until she found an apartment, a tight hug and started driving through the roads of London, still wet from an earlier summer rain.

"We'll get you something to eat, let you rest a bit, then how about we go out tonight? There are some people you should definitely meet, I mean, they're my friends and they'll be going to the same university so you might as well get to know them now, right?" Helga rambled, her body full of energy and happiness.

"Yeah, sure," Rowena mumbled with a smile. Later that day, maybe she would be in the mood to have fun and meet people, but at that moment the only thing she felt was the fatigue taking over her body. So, she rested her head on the car window and finally let her eyes close.

* * *

"…and please remind me what happens if they hate me."

Rowena's overthinking self had risen to the surface that evening, as she sat in one of the tables at the coffee shop while her friend gathered some empty cups and leftovers. Helga was all chipper that her best friends were finally going to meet for the first time, but the other girl's nervous eyes and constant feet-tapping showed that she didn't share the feelings. Moving to London for university was great and all, but that night was basically what would determine her future there. Rowena knew that she meant a lot to Helga, but she also knew that that was the case with Godric and Salazar too. And after all, they were the ones that had been on her side inside the battlefield that is high school. Comfort works and sorry looks through a computer screen couldn't compete with that.

"They won't. They are going to love you and we will all go to university together and it will be _perfect,_ understood?" Helga said for the millionth time in an hour, not even bothering to lift her eyes from the cleaning of the table in front of her. "Also, they've heard so much about you-"

"…that they're already bored of me," Rowena interrupted, resting her head on her hands.

"I'm sorry, but negative thoughts are not allowed in The Badger Café," she said, nodding towards the poster of a cute smiling badger with the caption 'Think Positive!' which hang on the wall.

Another conversation was going on just outside the shop.

"Hey, Sal, don't screw this up man," Godric broke the silence, which was peaceful and not awkward. The two of them had spent so much time together that, even when they didn't talk, they felt as if they were interacting.

"Why would I do that?" Salazar asked, with a genuinely curious frown on his face.

"You know, with your judging looks and stuff. This girl is not some acquaintance Helga spends time with in Bio and you can just scare off. She's important," Godric said, pointing a finger towards the door.

"I wasn't trying to scare anyone off; it's just called survival of the fittest. Adapt to stay in the group or do nothing and leave," Sal explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Although the two friends saw eye to eye in most occasions, they never quite managed to agree on that subject. "It's not my fault Helga hasn't found anyone worthy enough," he stated and walked past Godric to enter the café.

* * *

"What are they even talking about?" Helga asked, wearily resting her head on Godric's shoulder, who had his arm casually thrown around her. They half-sat half-lay on one of the booth couches, as the clock hands were getting close to midnight.

"Just let them be, love. We should just be glad that we found someone that can keep up with Sal," Godric replied in a sleepy voice and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Glad or horrified? Because now how are _we_ going to keep up with them? I mean okay, doing it separately was fine for me, but together? It's going to be a nightmare," Helga protested and snuggled closer to him.

"Oh, I know you love them. And I don't know, I kinda like the dynamic. I haven't seen him be like this with anyone for a long while now."

All that fuss was going on because of their other two friends who sat a few tables away, facing each other, and held a conversation that went from calm and collected to passionate and energetic and all over again in a matter of minutes.

What were they actually talking about? Well, everything. The talk has started a couple of hours earlier, just after they had met for the first time and Salazar had mentioned a movie he and Godric had watched recently. A sudden spark appeared in Rowena's eyes who casually mentioned a whole theory about the plot and ending of the film, which the boy had come to dispute right away, secretly enjoying that he apparently sat with someone with a proper opinion on things. After a while, the food in their plates was all gone and the couple of the group had asked for permission to move to the back of the shop to be all cuddly and couple-like, just to be quickly dismissed by their friends who had by then moved from movies to music to foreign politics and back to music.

With their loud voices and expressive hand gestures, everyone around them would be able to feel the tension of the conversation/argument, at least, well, if there were any other people there. It went on for hours, until Salazar's phone rang a little after twelve o' clock.

"Sorry, I have to take this," he apologized, the light of his phone screen creating weird shades on his face.

"Yeah, of course!" Rowena replied with a small smile and proceeded to create small circles and other geometrical shapes with the little salt that had fell out of the shaker at some point during their dinner, as the boy walked out of the shop to get a better signal.

When he came back, he caught her mid-yawn. The conversation had kept her intrigued enough for her body to forget about her crazy day, but now that she was calm again, the exhaustion was making its way back.

"You're tired," Salazar commented, without sitting back on his chair.

"I'm fine," Rowena argued, but her voice and eyes were missing the energy they possessed a few minutes ago. "It's just that Edinburgh is not that close to London and delayed flights make the distance seem even longer."

"Hey, just go to bed," he encouraged her and chuckled, as he leaned with his palms on the table and looked down at her. "Unfortunately for you, me and the lovebirds over there come in one package, so the two of us will probably have a lot of time to, I don't know, achieve world peace and decide what actually happened at the ending of Inception."

"I don't see the unfortunate part of that," she replied and with that she stood up and held out her hand. "Okay then. It was _really_ nice to meet you, Salazar."

"The pleasure was all mine, Rowena," he said and gripped her hand firmly. The handshake soon turned into a staring contest as he subconsciously attempted one more time to make her lower her gaze, blush or walk away, 'scare her off' as Godric would have put it. However, Rowena's blue eyes remained steady and strong on his green ones, so certain and powerful that for a moment he even consider turning his own gaze away. Instead he let out a small breath and a smirk appeared on his face as he called out "If you two are done being gross, I think we can call it a night," to Helga and Godric.

* * *

All goodbyes were said and the boys, being proper gentlemen, waited for Mr and Mrs Hufflepuff –who were enjoying a night in the city- to come and pick up the girls, as well as lock the coffee shop. The adults offered to take everyone home as usual and the guys politely refused as always. Then they set off towards the underground station on foot, since it was not that far anyway.

"So, worthy enough for you?" Godric asked his friend. Even though he looked like his mind was traveling somewhere, he knew he had heard the question. He always did. Honestly, it was so exasperating when the teacher asked a question, interrupted their chat in class and Godric was left stuttering while Salazar repeated everything that had been said in the past ten minutes.

"I can't complain. Remember to give Helga my congratulations on her wise choice of friends for the first time- well, the second, there is also the two of us."

On the other hand, in the car that was driving towards the suburbs, Helga wasn't the one asking questions. She just stood next to Rowena in the backseat, looking over at her friend with a small smile painted on her lips, waiting until they got home –or at least until she got a proper chance- to start talking. Her mother, though, couldn't just keep silent.

"So, Rowena, how are you liking England so far?" the petite woman asked from the front seat. And that, for Helga, was like throwing a steak in a dog's mouth and expecting it won't eat it.

"Oh, she really likes it," she jumped into the conversation, before Rowena could say anything. "She is particularly enjoying the _green_ of our country," was her reply, which earned her one of her little sister's teddy bears in the face. _But it's true,_ she formed the words with her mouth with an excited smile following.

Despite all the 'what the hell is wrong with you' and 'I just met him/her' that Rowena and Salazar had to constantly repeat to their friends that night, they both slept with a huge grin on their face and a knot in their stomach.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for reading! First Founders story, first AU, so I hope you liked it. I plan for it to be multi-chapter, so you can expect more. Feedback is always great!


	2. Damn Your Eyes

_Damn your eyes_  
_For taking my breath away_  
_Makin' me want to stay_  
_Damn your eyes_  
_For gettin' my hopes up high_  
_Makin' me fall in love again_  
_Damn your eyes  
_-_Damn Your Eyes (Etta James)_

Helga was hastily moving in the kitchen, baking some pastries that wouldn't last very long in a family of four people that loved food and three best friends who were in her house more often than not. Even then, as she gradually got covered in flour and sugar, they were there. Godric was rummaging through the fridge, a disappointed look appearing on his face every time he found something half-empty. He was used to eating at the Hufflepuffs' but it was a personal rule of his not to be the one to eat the last cookie or drink the last glass of chocolate milk. That way, he didn't feel so guilty. Salazar was sitting on the couch in the living room, with his back turned to the kitchen and his laptop open on his crossed legs. He seemed to be completely focused on what he was doing and the others were too busy to notice his occasional glances to the kitchen table. There sat Rowena, still in her pajamas and with glasses on instead of her usual contacts, with Gwen, Helga's younger sister, sitting opposite to her.

"Why do I have to learn all these things?" Gwen asked, sinking into her chair in the most dramatic way. A couple of books and notebooks were open in front of her, with scattered pencils and notes all around them.

"Stop complaining, young lady, and tell me if you understood what I just told you. You're not failing math on my watch," Rowena replied, trying to sound serious and austere but not quite managing. She had known the Gwen –who looked way more like Helga then she cared to admit- since she was in diapers. Now that she was fourteen and more beautiful than ever, the two of them were almost as good friends as Rowena and Helga.

"You just want the money, miss blue-eyes," the girl mocked and Rowena, having a five-year-old moment, stuck her tongue out at her. When Mrs Hufflepuff had asked her to help her younger daughter with her schoolwork, getting paid didn't even cross the raven-haired girl's mind. She would have been happy to do that for free, but with Helga's convincing and her mother's protests, she finally accepted a small payment. After all, she had to earn enough money to move out and stop being a burden at some point and tutoring Gwen was as close as she had gotten to a job.

"Just go finish these two exercises," Rowena said, circling them on the book, "and I'll come check them once you're done."

"Fine, fine," Gwen surrendered and picked up her stuff to go to her bedroom, where things would be quieter and she would be able to focus. Before leaving, she stopped right next to her teacher and leaned closer to her ear. "…Are you and Salazar dating?" she asked with a smug smirk on her face.

"What?!" said in that whisper-shout that she had mastered over the years. She quickly checked the counter to make sure her other two friends were still busy and wouldn't jump into this conversation that had turned out to be their favorite thing to talk to her about lately, before turning back to Gwen to reply with a firm "No!".

"He's been stealing glances of you for the past hour," Gwen commented. If that was the case, Rowena wouldn't have been able to notice, since she was sitting in a chair facing the kitchen counter, with the living room behind her.

"Whatever," she continued in the same low voice, "we're just friends." She tried to sound convincing and serious, hoping that her cheeks were still the same pale color and not red like the cover of the couch Salazar was sitting.

"I'm just saying, I wouldn't blame you, he's got a really nice-"

"Gwendolyn!"

"…sense of humor?" she half-said half-asked, putting on her most innocent face. "I think I'm going to do my homework now."

"Yes, you do that."

As the girl disappeared into the hallway, Rowena was left playing with a pencil in her fingers, not really sure of what she should do to pass her time. It was Sunday and she had already studied for Monday. Architecture was fairly hard, but she was doing fine so far. It was raining outside, so a bicycle ride was out of the question and she was no cockblocker, so there was no way she would interrupt Helga and Godric. There weren't many choices left.

She stood up and walked to the living room. Sitting on the back of the couch, she did a one-eighty spin and landed right next to Salazar who momentarily looked at her before returning to his computer screen.

"Studying?" she asked, crossing her legs and hugging one of the cushions. She hoped the answer was no, because she needed someone to keep her company. She could always offer to help him study but a)she had just done that with a fourteen-year-old and she wanted to do something different and b)Salazar was in Business Management which was certainly not on the list of her favorite things.

"No. Looking for a roommate, actually," he replied, somewhat reluctantly. The two of them hadn't really talked about personal matters, other than simple things like favorite food and worst pet peeves, but Rowena knew a couple of things because of Helga. His parents owned a huge shipping company and the Slytherin siblings always got whatever they asked for- except of their parents' presence. Salazar's sister, who was a few years older than him, got sick of the nannies and dresses and formal dinners at some point and rebelled in her own way, through art. She left the mansion and lived with her grandmother for a while, until she found a way to make money from her paintings. Last time she had called Salazar –which was the night he and Rowena met- she was living her life to the fullest somewhere in New York. But after her 'betrayal', their parents expected Salazar to be the perfect son and take over the business. He had no problem with that, he actually liked the job, but taking courage from his sibling's rebellion, he made it clear that he wasn't going to miss out on the whole university student experience just because they were rich (and somewhat snob). So roommate it was.

"That's not a bad idea at all, I might as well do it myself," Rowena commented. Even after arguing with Helga so many times about how she should move out and find a place of her own, a roommate had never crossed her mind. Split rent and bills, some company- she mentally slapped herself for not having thought of that earlier.

The idea hit them after almost silently scrolling through the fourth page of the website. They both glanced at each other, hoping they wouldn't have to be the one to get in the awkward place of making the suggestion.

"I mean, we could always…" they found the courage at the same time and chuckled in relief, sure that they had thought of the exact same thing the moment they looked at each other.

"I've come across a cute place downtown, close to campus. Do you want to check it out tomorrow, after class?" he asked with one of those seductive smiles on his face.

"Sure," the girl said, but before she could utter another word, Gwen's voice came from her bedroom, calling for her. "Uh, I have to go," Rowena explained.

"Of course," he replied, without forgetting to add "It'd be great to move in with someone I trust though, anyone else could be an axe murderer," as she stretched and he opened a music tab on his laptop.

He thought she had left, so he was caught by surprise when he felt someone lean right next to his head. "_I_ could be an axe murderer," was all Rowena said before going to check those math exercises.

He was left smiling as the melody of 'Damn Your Eyes' started flowing through the speakers.


	3. Kiss me

_And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck_  
_I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet_  
_And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now  
-Kiss Me (Ed Sheeran)_

In their new apartment, they kissed three times.

The first time they were drunk and they both didn't know they wanted it.

It started with a 'Spin the Bottle' game in which neither of them participated. It was their housewarming party and even though they tried to keep it small, news travel fast around the campus and the house ended up bustling with tipsy students chatting and dancing and laughing. When someone held up his empty glass bottle and suggested the game, people cheered and proceeded to sit on the floor, probably trying to calculate the chances they had to end up making out with their crush.

Salazar spotted Rowena sitting on the couch, apparently finding the game too silly for her taste. He crept up on her from behind and rested a bottle of wine on her shoulder. "Wanna play 'Drink the Bottle' instead, roommate darling?"

They drank and talked and laughed, louder after every glass, until the pause was too long and one of them stood up and headed to the dance floor and the other followed. They didn't dance together though. They messed around with other people and occasionally caught each other's glance across the room, but it wasn't until around three am that they managed to actually interact, as the house was empty once again.

"This carpet is so purple… why do we own a carpet so purple?" Rowena mumbled as she picked up the two empty glasses of wine from the coffee table in the living and walked towards the kitchen. She didn't notice Salazar didn't reply, because she wasn't really expecting a reply. Honestly, she didn't even look around to see if the boy was still in the room.

If she had, she would have noticed that he was standing next to the stereo, pressing a button here and there, flipping a switch. The moment the glasses touched the sink, the first few notes had already made their way into the apartment.

"You didn't dance with me tonight," she heard the voice from somewhere close to her and turned to see Salazar leaning against the wall next to the fridge.

Rowena made an attempt to talk, but what came out of her mouth was something between a cry and a chuckle. She rubbed her eyes and then ran her hands through her hair, her moves having the nonchalance of a drunk person. "Tenerife Sea?" she asked, as she suddenly recognized the song. "How can I say no to that?"

_You look so wonderful in your dress  
I love your hair like that  
The way it falls on the side of your neck  
Down your shoulders and back_

She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands were on his waist as they slowly swayed through the kitchen to the living room, following the rhythm of the song.

_And should this be the last thing I see  
I want you to know it's enough for me  
'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need_

Three minutes ago they both felt the exhaustion inside them, mixed with the alcohol, but now it had been replaced by that weird sense of electricity. He was a bit taller than her, so his eyes were at the level of her hair and she could have looked up at him, but she chose to stare at the first button of his plaid green and black shirt.

_You look so beautiful in this light  
Your silhouette over me  
The way it brings out the blue in your eyes  
Is the Tenerife sea_

And then she looked up. And blue eyes met green ones and got locked there, as Godric's first words when he heard about their plans echoed in Salazar's head. _Roommates, huh? That apartment better watch out, because it's probably going to blow up because of all the sexual tension._ He had smacked his arm back then and discarded his comments as stupid, but as he stared in that Tenerife Sea, as the song said, he started feeling worried about the apartment too.

_And all of the voices surrounding us here  
They just fade out when you take a breath  
Just say the word and I will disappear  
Into the wilderness_

Rowena took in a sharp breath which broke his train of thought, but her eyes and hands remained where they were. She felt it too, right? That feeling that the two of them, right there, were the only thing that was holding the world together and if they turned their gazes away or broke apart the whole of creation would collapse. "Sal…" she whispered, sounding sober for the first time in hours and he realized she had never called him that before.

_And should this be the last thing I see  
I want you to know it's enough for me  
'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need_

In the morning he would blame the wine for the lack of further thought, but at that moment he wasn't really capable of thinking of many things. Every conscious part of him was focused on one single objective, as he leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers.

_I'm so in love, so in love  
So in love, love, love, love,  
So in love_

The kiss was slow and careful, the smell of alcohol burning their nostrils as they space between them got eliminated. Rowena's hand somehow ended up on his neck and then in his hair, pulling herself up to match his height. They were too intoxicated to think of the consequences of what they were doing, because at the moment it only felt right.

But then the last notes of the song lazily floated inside the room and faded away and as the silence embraced them, they broke apart. With a last intense stare, they headed to their bedrooms, not uttering another word. In the morning, they would both claim they remembered nothing of the party after some point, but every time their shoulders brushed as they crossed the hallway or they opened a door to almost bump onto each other, their eyes could speak and reveal the thought that was burning inside their brains. They remembered.

* * *

The second time was awkward, because they both knew they did want it.

Salazar had just gotten into the apartment with a cup of coffee in his hand, when his phone rang. Dropping his keys on the shelf next to the door, he took it out of his pocket to read Helga's shining name on the screen.

"Sal, I need a favour," she said the moment he picked up.

"Good morning to you too, dear," he replied with a small smile playing on his lips, even though the girl couldn't actually see it. Christmas had just passed, but the spirit of the holiday still hadn't left him, making him friendlier and nicer in general. Well, some would say that his attitude change was due to a certain blue-eyed girl, but he pretended he couldn't hear them. "How may I help you this fine day?"

"…It's snowing. Anyway, Godric and I are stuck in traffic and I still haven't finished my errands, so there is no way I can make it to the airport in time. Can you please go pick up Rowena?" As usual, when Helga was nervous, she spoke too quickly and took fewer breaths than needed.

"Calm down, I'll be there. We don't want her missing New Year's, do we?"

Half an hour later, he was playing some stupid mobile game to keep his mind distracted as he waited outside a huge gate with 'Arrivals' written on top of it. He was actually doing pretty great, but he looked up just for a moment to see the doors opening, resulting in his ninja getting killed by the forces of evil. Not that he cared.

Apparently, a lot of people from Scotland came to London for New Year's. The horde of people that exited the gate was quite scary, like an army ready to take over the place. Slowly, groups of people started breaking apart from the crowd as they spotted the person who was there to pick them up and approached them with a smile. Children, no matter their age, ran into their parents' arms, some girls right next to him squealed and hugged, making Salazar dramatically roll his eyes and a few meters away, a couple somehow managed to actually ran into a kiss, to which he turned his head away. Just when he started to get worried, a familiar face appeared.

He would never speak the words out loud, but Rowena had certainly gotten prettier. He knew it had been just a week, but despite the fatigue she seemed happier, satisfied, more radiant. She curiously looked around for a few seconds before she saw him waiting for her with his hands in his pockets. The obvious exhaustion on her face got replaced by a grin, as she waved and formed 'hi!' with her lips, before quickly walking towards where he was standing.

Salazar wasn't really sure about how to react, but she didn't leave him much of a choice when she let go of her heavy suitcase and pulled him into a tight hug. An action taken on impulse, but fortunately he couldn't see the blush on Rowena's cheeks once she realized what she had done and all she could feel was his hands on her waist and not the frantic beating of his heart.

"I missed you," she said as soon as she pulled away. "All of you," she made sure to quickly add, hoping he didn't notice.

"Us too. It's been a torment to be the only smartass around," he joked, before offering to help her with a suitcase. As they walked to the car, as well as on the ride home, Rowena couldn't stop talking about the time she spent back home and how it was great to see her parents again but she had actually gotten used to the London lifestyle and sometimes found herself wishing she was back there with them. Salazar could have politely stopped her, since she would have to repeat all that to the other too and also Helga's family, but of course he didn't. He stared at the road in front of him, occasionally nodded and took a mental note to remember the girl's enthusiastic rambling as one of the cutest things he had ever witnessed.

"...10, 9, 8,..." the crowd at Trafalgar Square chanted, counting down to yet another New Year. The four friends stood in the apartment's living room, watching the whole thing on TV, as they had decided they should spend their first New Year's together in a more cozy and family-like environment. The seconds turned into smaller and smaller numbers when the sudden realization hit both Salazar and Rowena, as soon as they saw Godric lovingly placing his arm around Helga's waist.

"...7, 6, 5,..." _Oh God._ What were they supposed to do? They had -or had chosen to- completely forget that custom. It weird be awkward if they did it and it would be awkward if they didn't. They weren't too close but not too far either and neither could see the look of complete terror on the other's face, with the inevitable moment getting closer and memories and feelings from a night they weren't supposed to remember flooding their minds.

"...4, 3, 2, 1, _HAPPY NEW YEAR!"_ Hundreds of colorful fireworks ignited the sky, turning the night into day and it was time. Helga and Godric smiled and looked at each other with that look of two people completely in love that would trigger a sting of jealousy in anyone heart, before sharing a slow and gentle kiss. Rowena and Salazar turned to each other at the same time, as they both had made the same quick decision.

_Is this okay?_ was written across both their faces. After some reassuring nods, they apparently both thought it would be for the best to get this over with as fast as possible, so the moment Rowena placed her palms on his shoulders, Salazar had his hand on her back. They chose to ignore the fireworks behind their closed eyes that were even brighter than those outside, glows that went off the second their lips touched. They also pretended not to notice their friends' smirks as soon as they broke apart, even though no comment was made. They turned to the bottle of champagne as if their lives depended on it and drunk a bit more than needed, hoping that alcohol would give a solution to the huge ball of unresolved feelings mixed with denial that was growing inside them.

* * *

The third time, it was time to put an end to their denial.

She was _dating_. Salazar was never into that sort of things. He had had a series of girlfriends in the past years, but the times he got into the dating process were very few. He was used to being the guy that girls stared at and giggled in the cafeteria, gorgeous and unapproachable, but when he was into a girl, he kept things casual, with no romantic dinners and formal clothes. Now that he thought about it again, that was probably the reason his relationship duration average was about two weeks.

Rowena had gone on so many dates since New Year's and he would never admit it, but it caused him a weird kind of burning in his chest that he had never felt before. Godric would shoot him meaningful looks every time he caught him staring at her talking to some guy whose name wasn't important in the cafeteria and Helga would try to talk to him whenever he told her Rowena couldn't come to the phone because she was getting ready to go out, but he didn't let either of them continue. Something had to be done about that feeling and he had to do it. What could that 'something' be, though? That question was left unanswered.

Rowena had already left the apartment when he woke up and he didn't see her all day at campus. He didn't get worried or anything, since he was used to her disappearing in the library or spending her hours in an old bookshop he didn't even know it existed. When he walked home, he was prepared to find the place empty, maybe with a quickly-written note on the fridge. The last thing he expected when he opened the door was to find two people chatting on the couch. One of them was his roommate, the other was a man he had never seen before.

"Oh, hey Sal. This is Garrett," she said, a huge grin on her face. "Sorry I didn't let you know he was coming earlier, but I didn't expect his visit either. Not that I'm complaining of course," she chuckled. She was apparently too delighted to notice the look on Salazar's face, which was far from happy. "Garrett, this is Salazar, my roommate and friend." The last words only made him feel worse.

Garrett stood up, but as he started to approach him to offer his hand with a smile, Sal hastily walked to his bedroom. "Yeah, yeah, nice to meet you, sorry, I'm way too busy," he mumbled on his way there, blunt and aggressive.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he buried his face in his palms. Two different parts of his mind were fighting, causing him a headache so bad it felt like his brain was burning. The one part was scolding him for what he had just done. He had grown up in a noble environment, he had learned to be polite and smile and offer his hand to people. What had happened to that upbringing? However, the other part was furious. _What does she think she's doing?_ The unanswerable question echoed throughout his head, making him dizzy. But there was no reason she shouldn't been doing whatever that thing was. She was free to do what she wanted in her life and the knot in his stomach should for no reason affect her.

Five, or ten, or thirty minutes later, Salazar couldn't really tell since he was too busy with his internal discord, his roommate came in with a serious look on her face. She closed the door behind her and leaned her back on it with her arms crossed on her chest. She didn't say a word, which made the whole situation way more terrifying. She just stared at him, her blue orbs piercing through him, as if they could look straight at his soul and he stared at his shoes, until he decide to speak. The furious part of himself took over.

"Is your boyfriend gone?" he asked, still looking down like the shoelaces of his old Chuck Taylors were the most important thing in the universe.

"My what? Garrett is my cousin, my favorite cousin! You've been acting so weird for the past few weeks, why the hell are you doing this?" Frustrated, she took a few steps forward so that she was standing right in front of him. Rowena was generally one of those people who couldn't stand fights between friends and thought that anything could be solved through extensive talking, so Salazar was certain that she would not leave the room until she had made sure that things between them were fine.

She was standing so close to him that he could see her own dark blue Chucks, worn out, filled with drawings and torn at a few spots, pointing at his black ones. His eyes stayed fixed there as he ran his hands through his hair one last time before he heard her speak again. "Will you at least look at me?" And so he did.

Even though his eyes were green, at that moment they possessed a strange sort of glow that made them look like they was a undying flame inside. It was actually a great representation of what he felt inside, which was an entirely unfamiliar sensation; the best description that Salazar could give was that his soul was on fire, no matter how little sense that made. But suddenly, after finally catching Rowena's powerful gaze, everything came into place. In the fraction of a second, he understood what he was feeling and what he had to do about it and every single doubt he had vanished. Of course, the answer had been there for quite a while, but a man who has lived he whole life in rain and blizzard takes a while to recognise the heat of the sun hitting his face.

"_Because I'm in love with you!_" His voice was more like a loud and exasparated sigh, as he stood up, now on the same level as her. For the first time since he met her, she was speechless. "I'm in love with you, dammit, and I wish you could just open your eyes and see it! You know, for a person of your wits, Rowena, you are really bad at taking hints!" While talking he approached her even more without noticing, so she had ended up with her back against the wardrobe, with Salazar a couple of inches away from her, his arms still stretched in an expressive gesture.

His first declaration certainly caught her by surprise, but as soon as the following words came out of his mouth, they triggered a look as furious as his to appear on her face too. "Look who's talking!" she shouted. Her voice so loud was another thing Salazar experienced for the first time. "You have no right to talk about blindness, Salazar, because I swear, you are the most oblivious person I have ever met!" It was his turn to get startled. "I have dated four different guys in three months. Let me tell you, when a girl does that she is either really indecisive or trying to cause a reaction. _Your_ reaction, you idiot!"

They were now so close that they could feel each other's unsteady breaths on their face. "I've been head over heels for you since that housewarming party," Rowena continued, her voice a whisper, a strong contrast to the boisterous argument that had preceded, "probably even before, but I was too scared to admit it." It was a relief to finally get it out of her system, a confession that she thought she would never have the courage to make. Not even Helga knew about this, even though bring back into mind all of her and Godric's action during the past few months, the two fo them had probably noticed it way before them.

"So, you remember what happened at that party after all?" Salazar chuckled with his casual smirk back on his lips, but this time his whole face had a different glow, a glow of... happiness, maybe?

"Of course I do, come on, I wasn't _that_ drunk," Rowena replied. She didn't wonder how they could hold a humorous conversation with their faces an inch away from each other.

"You were pretty drunk though."

_Which was entirely your fault,_ she would have said, if she wasn't too busy kissing him. She didn't know if she was the one who pulled him in or if he couldn't stand it any longer. Both their minds were screaming, as their hearts threatened to jump out of their chests, and a single thought could be heard above everything else: _Finally._

Neither actually wanted to pull back, but a small issue called oxygen got in the way. Nothing could wipe the smiled off their lips, as they stood there with almost no space left between them. "That was way better than the party," Salazar commented. Rowena didn't answer; she just pulled him into an even more passionate kiss.


	4. Chasing Cars

_If I lay here_  
_If I just lay here_  
_Would you lie with me_  
_And just forget the world?_  
_-Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)_

They ended up sharing a bed three times.

The first time, it was Salazar's bed and neither of them got enough sleep.

Rowena's plan was to just get up and have a glass of water, but as soon as she saw the bathroom's door half-open and the light on, she couldn't stay away. She slowly approached and stole a glance, just to see Salazar with his cheek touching the cold edge of the bathtub and his eyes closed.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" she broke the silence and quickly walked in to stand next to him. The boy slowly opened his eyelids, his face pale and exhaustion obvious all over him.

"Stomach bug," he explained in a low voice. She noticed the drops of sweat on his brow, his trembling hands and the disgusting smell and she realized it was going to be a long night.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked as she wiped his face with a clean towel. Thankfully, he didn't protest.

"I didn't want to upset you," he replied and despite his awful state, the hint of a smile that appeared on his lips was as genuine as his healthy ones.

After fifteen more minutes in almost silence and one more throwing up, Rowena took over as the apartment's doctor and stated it would be better for him to go back to bed and try to sleep with a few of those airsickness bags she had brought from her flight to and from Scotland just in case. She helped him stand up and walk to his room, moving in the slow pace of a sick person and made sure everything needed was within grabbing distance.

Sal closed his eyes right away and his breathing turned calmer within a few minutes, but she refused to go to her room. Instead, she sat on the other side of his double bed with her legs crossed, staring at the ceiling and glancing at the clock every now and then. She had come to know that unpleasant times always seemed to last longer.

"Go to bed," whispered Salazar, who was apparently still awake. He turned around to face her with his hand between his face and the pillow and even though his eyes were bloodshot, he looked much better.

"That's not going to happen," Rowena replied in her serious disarming voice and let her body glide down, so that she was lying next to him. She matched his pose, her palm on her cheek and stared at his red eyes with her most compassionate look. "Sleep, you need it. I'll be here in the morning," she promised.

And so she was. Salazar slept through the remaining hours and woke up by some rays of sunlight that hit his face through the closed window, feeling almost fine. However, when he looked down and saw Rowena asleep, having her face buried in his chest, he decided he was still too weak to go to class and deserved a few more hours of relaxing.

* * *

The second time it was Rowena's bed and it wouldn't have happened if shedidn't share an apartment with the lightest sleeper in the universe.

She woke up in the middle of the night with a cry that she would describe as barely audible. Her pillow was soaked in sweat and her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest as her disorientated eyes looked around to realize she was in her safe and warm bedroom. _It wasn't really. None of it happened. Calm down._

She covered her face with her hands, wiping away the few tears that had streamed down on her cheek and tried to take deep breaths and regain her composure, until she was relaxed enough to go back to sleep. The adrenaline had started to wash away from her blood when she noticed the tall dark figure in the hallway, just outside her door.

"Are you okay? I thought I heard you scream, but it may have been in a dream," Salazar tried to justify his presence in her room at such a late hour. He took a couple of steps forward and the moonlight ignited his face which had been taken over by a concerned look.

"Yeah… just a bad dream. I- I'm okay now," she explained, her voice still trembling a little bit. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was completely dry. "I'm sorry I woke you up," she finally said.

"…it's okay. Try to sleep again, it's still really early," he said, but lingered at the door instead of leaving. He let his eyes focus on her and it was the first time she saw her looking that scared, crummy, vulnerable. His heart ached at the sight, but he knew there wasn't much he could do. Unless…

"Sal?" Rowena broke the temporary silence. She was lying back again, with her eyes closed and both her hands on her forehead and he let out a faint sound to let her know he was there and listening. "Can you stay?" she asked, hope obvious in her voice.

"Of course," Salazar replied and walked to the bed, thankful for the darkness that hid his smile. He got under the covers beside her and she adjusted her body so that her head lay on his shoulder.

"Thank you," Rowena whispered before falling fast asleep, finally feeling safe and relaxed again. He just pulled her closer and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, almost able to hear their hearts beating together.

She never told him her nightmare was about losing him.

* * *

The third time, it was just like the movies.

Those movies they would watch together at a cold Friday night when they had nothing else to do, and laugh with. Because who did that? Couples storming through the front door, throwing keys and jackets and clothes around, somehow managing to have their faces glued together the whole time. "That's what I do when I really need to use the loo," Salazar would say and throw another handful of pop corn into his mouth. For some reason, they had never watched a movie like that since they got together.

However, one Saturday night, they suddenly found out those movie writers were not that delusional after all. They didn't even know how they ended up like that. They were out at a pub with Helga, Godric and a few more of their fellow students, a night full of stories and dance and laughter. Next thing they knew, they were in the elevator to their apartment, because the good times are the ones that go by the fastest. "I really want to remember this night," Rowena said, still laughing at something he had said.

Salazar looked over at her, a grin still stuck on his face- he hadn't had a good time for such a long while. A few strands of hair had escaped her braid and fell disorderly in her face, but she didn't seem to care. She had leaned her head back at the elevator wall and her hands were placed on her stomach, which was probably in pain after all the laughter. There were stains of tears of joy around her eyes and even though he took a mental note to remember the night in general, that was exactly the image he wanted to have in his mind forever. "You're so beautiful," he said, his voice still having hints of enthusiasm and before he could hold himself back, he had cupped her cheek and kissed her slowly.

His plan was to pull away as soon as they reached their floor, really. But he would be lying if he said he was disappointed when she responded in an instant, her fingers suddenly tangled in his hair, standing on her tiptoes to gain better access. One of them somehow opened the elevator door and they both blindly walked towards their door. Even though she was busy with other things, Rowena managed to unlock it quickly as ever and before she could even think about it, the roles had been reversed and she was the one being pushed against a wall.

"Do you… Are we…" Salazar tried to form a proper question and failed epically, his mind too busy and full of _her_ to think about anything else, like syntax and grammar. It didn't matter, since she had obviously understood what he meant.

Rowena kissed him one last time before pulling away enough to speak properly. "Yes," she said, her voice a whisper full of desire. "I mean, I want to, I'm sure about that" she quickly added, closing her eyes. "I don't know if you-" was the last thing that managed to come out of her mouth before Salazar pulled her back in, smiling against her lips.

A few hours later, the night had completely covered London, which was rainy once again. Rowena could feel Salazar's heartbeat on her bare back, its steady rhythm making her relax in his arms. He tried to hold her as close as possible, as his whole body craved the contact more than anything in his life. He whispered her name in the dark, but there was no answer. A small smile appeared on his lips, as he planted kiss on her raven black hair. "I love you," he said, with the confidence he always possessed. There was no 'I think' or 'I might' at the beginning, no sigh of surrender as if it was something he hated to admit. If she woke up right that second and turned to look at him, she would have said it again. And Salazar wasn't the kind of person who said things they didn't mean.

He got out of bed the next morning and found her brushing her teeth in the bathroom in one of his shirts which was just slightly big for her. She smiled but didn't say a word as he approached and grabbed his toothbrush, following her example. As soon as she was done, she leaned on the sink and stared at him who pretended he didn't notice her blue eyes piercing through his soul.

"What?" he asked with a smile after he was done, mimicking her exact position. His eyes were locked on hers as he waited for a reply, thinking about how easily he could get used to that.

"I love you," she said, her voice as confident as his had been when he spoke the exact same words. Had she heard him the previous night? Maybe, maybe not. Who even cared after all? He just laughed and kissed her, the taste of peppermint toothpaste filling both their mouths.

It certainly was a night they would remember.


End file.
